South Shields stand-up Millican is like your favourite aunt. You know the one. Looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth but out of the blue says something that has the room gasping.

Blue is an apt word. I won’t be buying jam from a WI stall any time soon. And no, I can’t explain why. In fact, I can’t repeat half of what she said. I can tell you this, I laughed so much my cheeks hurt.

Sipping a mug of tea as she went, the award-winning Millican chatted to the packed theatre like we were sat around her kitchen table. Nothing was out of bounds, I could confidentally choose her bathing and bedroom rituals as my specialist subject on Mastermind.

What makes her so funny is she talks about real-life, those moments we all have. Topics ranged from her fractious relationship with one of her cats, her dog missing the nuances of Showaddywaddy’s Under the Moon of Love, life in the countryside, including being unable to tell the difference between an owl’s hoot and her husband’s asthma and septic tanks.

You never know what you’re going to get when you throw questions at Ipswich audiences. I’ve heard some strange things shouted out at comedy gigs; tonight came close to being the weirdest. Asking us what’s the best thing we’ve seen in nature went in some bizarre and dark directions; sparking a raging debate about what a whaleshark actually is (it’s a shark) and how many teats a horse has (it’s two).

I’ve never seen a Yorkie bar thrown at a comedian’s feet before either.

There were serious, albeit it still funny, moments too with bits about body issues, shamming school bullies and owning what makes you you - even if it’s your ability to peel a satsuma while driving and being able to mimic a car horn perfectly.

A shout out too for opener Danny McLoughlin. Now, where to wear the pet badge my wife picked up for me...

Wayne Savage